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Anderson Silva took to Instagram to send out a heartfelt message to his fanbase after the loss at the hands of Uriah Hall, this past weekend. The 36-year-old knocked out the Brazilian phenom in the 4th Round of the UFC Vegas 12 main event.
The fight was Silva's last ever UFC bout.
Here's his statement on Instagram:
"Good morning, my people, today is a very different day for a simple reason, and I wanted to thank you all these years with your cheerleading. I want to thank the God for granting me the gift of the fight! Thank you my people for all understanding, for all your support and for all your amazing moments that we live in this sport together!
"I hope I left it in memory and in the heart of each of you a little of who I am, that you can overcome difficulties, every second of uncertainty and to overcome obstacles in your lives! Never think about giving up, as hard as things get at some point; know that I leave all my love, all my respect for you! Force and time always and God bless you all! Thank you all, bless you, and bless you," it read.
Anderson Silva effectively announces retirement in a statement
Anderson Silva, now 45-years-old, will go down as one of the best fighters in the history of the sport. In his prime - from 2006 to 2012 - he was easily one of the most entertaining and dangerous strikers to have competed in the sport.
Although the main event against Hall was competitive till he was TKO'd in the fourth, the fight ending sequence undoubtedly betrayed his age and diminishing reflexes.
At the time, Silva was unsure if he would retire from the sport completely when asked in the post-fight press conference. However, the statement he put out seems to suggest that this may have been it for the Spider.
Some fighters find it difficult to retire from the sport they have dedicated themselves to and Anderson Silva seems to be one of them.
However, at 45-years-old, as Dana White said, it was time for the legend to hang up his gloves.
